FreeFit granted second loose lay LVT patent

Posted Date:
9/5/2013

[Elizabethtown, Pa.] FreeFit has been granted a second U.S. patent broadening its intellectual property related to loose laid luxury vinyl tile (LVT), according to Samuel Apicelli, a leading patent attorney and partner at Philadelphia.-based Duane Morris.

FreeFit was granted its first patent pertaining to loose laid LVT in October last year.

“This second patent covers FreeFit’s original backing technology but is more general and widely applicable. It’s not relegated to a single geometric pattern,” said Apicelli.

FreeFit planks and tiles, which were introduced at Surfaces in 2009, utilize an octopus-like backer as well as a specially formulated and weighted virgin vinyl core that allows for loose lay installations without click systems, peel-and-stick tabs or glue. FreeFit recommends approved adhesives or its Gecko tape to secure perimeters in heavy commercial environments facing heavy rolling loads.

FreeFit CEO Dave Reichwein told FCW its original 2012 patent was leveraged to shut down small infringing importers at Surfaces, Domotex Hannover and Domotex Shanghai this year.

“Contingent liability is a phrase everyone should be familiar with. In today’s world it’s becoming a bigger issue every day. Whether it’s a product containing phthalate or a patent being infringed by someone trying to make a quick buck, the financial implications go from the manufacturer who made it, to the distributor that sold it, all the way down to the homeowner who bought it,” said Reichwein.